By Heidi Trautmann

While masses of people bought themselves the local delicacies on the many stands in the main street of Lapta, which had been blocked to through traffic, and I must say here that everything was freshly made and no junk was on offer, the activities on the village stage on June 22 lasted late into the night. A lot of effort was put into the preparations, there was sound and light and all was rehearsed many times but I would like to make a comment: why must the sound be turned up, especially the basses, to full power, it gives people a headache and the instruments especially the violin sound shrill and very uncomfortable; I had to keep my ears covered.  Also the lighting: one spotlight was directed into the audience instead on to the stage, the faces of dancers were often not recognizable and it was also most awkward for us photographers to have to fight with it.

As I have given much space to my home village people, the ‘Unterinntaler Trachtenverein Vogtareuth’, here are the other folklore groups we have seen dancing:

We saw the Lapta Municipality Dance Group; followed by the children group of ‘Kibris Sanat’ with the instructor Zeki Ciler, an old friend; then we saw the large group from Mexico ‘Compania de Danza Folklore’ with at least ten musicians and as much dancers, a wonderful show full of temperament and my beloved Mariachi music; our Bavarians followed who I have given a page of their own. The Czech Republic was represented by Folklore Ensemble Marjanek, very fresh and colourful; the Ankara Polatli Municipality Folklore Dance Group with fantastic costumes and lovely dances and finally the group from Togo ‘Association de Valorisation Danses et Rythmes’ with drummer musicians and a large group of dancers showing us their village dances although I cannot believe that the costumes were authentic with the ladies wearing red silk skirts.

I stood next to the kids in front of the stage and it was fun to be so close and to watch both, the dancers and the kids with their eyes full of excitement and their limbs moving subconsciously to the beat of the music.